


Carry Your Morals With You

by mvernet



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Based on RL College Admittance Scandals, Fraud, M/M, Prompt fic Privilege, Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 14:03:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19319662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mvernet/pseuds/mvernet
Summary: One of Blair's students admits to buying his way into Rainier.





	Carry Your Morals With You

Jim quietly slipped into the back row of Hargrove Hall’s main lecture room. He was early picking up Blair and had planned it that way. He thoroughly enjoyed observing his partner in his natural habitat. Blair stood behind a podium wrestling with his notes. He was wearing an odd kind of tweed sports coat he said he had found at the thrift store he frequented. With his hair tied back and his glasses perched on the end of his nose he looked for all the world like an absent minded professor from a vintage movie. 

Blair found whatever it was he was searching for and launched into an explanation of linguistic anthropology. Jim had heard Blair’s, Introduction to Anthropology, lectures before and was pleased that he could name in his head the four major fields of study. Jim smiled and crossed his arms, getting comfortable. He had actually learned something. Jim wondered if he could pass one of Blair’s quizzes. Of course even from where he was sitting he could read Blair’s notes. Jim was suddenly glad he didn’t have the control over his abilities he had now in High School. The temptation to cheat would have been overwhelming to a teenage Jim Ellison.

The bell rang and Blair dismissed his class with a reminder of an upcoming assignment deadline. He turned to Jim and smiled with a one minute gesture of his hand. He said in a soft voice, “I’ll be right with you, Big Guy. I gotta talk to one of my students for a sec.” Blair raised his voice aiming at the back of a tall, blond, young man. 

Jim could hear Blair easily. “Lenny? Could I speak to you for a moment?”

The student turned, obviously annoyed. “Yeah, Teach. Just don’t take too long, I got a hot date.”

Jim bristled at the kid’s attitude, but Blair didn’t seem to notice. He held up a blue essay book, the kind Jim had seen spread all over the loft a few days ago. Jim continued to listen in as Blair laid into the boy.

“Lenny. This paper is totally unacceptable. You put no effort into your research and you wrote of the Aztec and Mayan cultures interchangeably. Your references were obviously copied from the back of our textbook, unless you happened to have access to the National Library of Peru and took your Lear Jet to Lima over the weekend. If that is the case, take me with you next time.”

Jim hid a laugh behind his hand. Blair glanced at him briefly and almost broke the sarcasm with a smile.

“Funny, Teach. So you gonna fail me or what?”

“Lenny, I would rather have you do the assignment again. This time take it seriously or I will have you drop my class rather than fail you. I don’t like to fail freshman. You’re new to college life. It can be hard to adjust, I understand. You’re no longer a child, Lenny. You’re working towards a goal here. It’s your own life and money you’re frittering away. This course may be just an introduction to Anthropology, and maybe you have no use for it. You may be headed in another direction in your academic career. But it is necessary for that degree that will eventually decorate the office of your chosen profession.”

Lenny snickered and shook his head. “Man, Teach. Where'd they dig you up? You are such a throwback. I don’t need this boring course, or any course in this lame University. My business degree is already bought and paid for. My father paid big bucks to an admittance assistance place. I was guaranteed admittance and a degree. Even if I flunk all my courses, I’ll still get my diploma. It’s all arranged. Of course I still have to pass a few classes in business so my father won’t cut off my allowance, but Anthropology? How is that going to make you any money?”

Jim instinctively leaned forward towards Blair, hearing his friend's heart beat increase as he grew more upset with his student’s attitude.

“What are you talking about, Lenny? Your father paid some company to get you admitted?”

“Sure, Teach. Wake up and smell the greenback. My grades would never have cut it. What? You think your precious Rainier is above corruption? My father always says, privilege is like an invisible, weightless, backpack filled with special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, tools, and blank checks. Money equals privilege, Teach, and I am one of the privileged few.”

Lenny turned his back on his stunned teacher and headed up the lecture room stairs to the exit. As he strutted by, Jim stood and called out. “Hey, kid, I couldn’t help but hear you mouthing off at my partner. ” Lenny looked at Blair who was gathering up his papers. “Yeah, I’m a cop and Blair Sandburg is my partner. Thanks for the info. I’ll be sure to talk to my Captain about this admittance scam you’re involved in. Let me give you a little unsolicited advice. A wise man once told me that morality is a slippery slope. Once you start to compromise your morality on little things, lying on an insurance form, writing a bad check, cheating on a test, it gets easier to do immoral things you never thought you could. See, kid, you have to carry your morality with you. Keep it in your pocket, pull it out and use it everyday, or someday you’ll find yourself on the wrong side of the law, looking at life imprisonment. Just something to think about.”

Lenny paled and glanced at Blair who was now next to his partner. Lenny opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind. He walked away looking suddenly very young and very scared to Jim’s eyes. Jim put an hand on Blair’s shoulder and squeezed.

“Thanks, man. I didn’t know you were listening when I lectured my students about morality in today’s society. I hope you were able to reach Lenny. Are we really going to look into this admittance scam?”

“I’ll talk to Simon about it. We may have to hand it off to vice, but I promise I’ll see it through. Lenny might have unintentionally opened a mighty wiggly can of worms, Chief. Come on, buddy. Let’s go out to dinner tonight. I’ll even treat, since your car is in the shop, yet again.”

“Sounds great, man. Lead on.”

The two men walked past the fountain on the way to the parking lot. They noticed Lenny sitting alone, staring into the burbling water, deep in thought. The student called out to his teacher. “Mr. Sandburg? I’ll redo that assignment and have it to you by Friday. Is that okay?”

“Okay, Lenny. If you have any problems, my office hours are posted on my door.”

Jim was glad to see Blair smile again. He made a mental note to attend more of Blair’s lectures. Maybe even sign up for a class.There was a lot he could learn from his partner.


End file.
